Democratic Party

High mortgage rates are creating a buyers' market in America's most expensive cities. Brown Harris Stevens CEO Bess Freedman calls NYC and West Palm Beach "opportunity markets" due to ample inventory and new buildings coming online, yet buyers are holding off as rates remain stubbornly high since early 2026. The disconnect is stark: US home prices jumped 7% year-over-year in January despite buyer hesitation, showing supply constraints even in premium markets. Freedman's luxury focus on cash buyers insulates her from rate sensitivity, but the broader market faces a standoff between sellers expecting 2025 prices and buyers waiting for rate cuts. The spring selling season started strong, but transaction volumes remain suppressed as financing costs freeze out marginal buyers.

The former NYC mayor remains stable in a Florida facility eight months after a serious car crash in New Hampshire. Specific cause undisclosed.

Early presidential hopefuls are already coaching their partners for the inevitable media spotlight and opposition research.

Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, New York, and Philadelphia are competing to host the party's next presidential nominating convention.

Graham Platner, a Marine veteran turned oyster farmer backed by Bernie Sanders, holds a commanding lead over Gov. Janet Mills in polling for Maine's Democratic Senate primary. Mills launched a six-figure attack ad targeting Platner's decade-old Reddit comments and a chest tattoo, but the progressive insurgent's momentum suggests establishment Democrats are losing their grip on candidate selection. The winner will challenge Susan Collins in November, making this a key battle for Senate control in 2026.

Senators Chris Van Hollen and Cory Booker, both eyeing 2028 presidential runs, introduced sweeping tax plans featuring record surtaxes on millionaires and huge middle-class cuts. Van Hollen's bill imposes up to 12% surtaxes on incomes above $5 million, while Booker would raise top rates to 43% and eliminate income tax on the first $75,000 for families. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren separately proposed wealth taxes projected to raise $4.4 trillion and $6 trillion respectively over a decade. The proposals signal Democrats' sharp leftward turn on fiscal policy ahead of the midterms.

Potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates are publicly distancing themselves from 2020 positions on border security, crime, and climate to appeal to voters ahead of the midterms. California Governor Gavin Newsom urged Democrats to adopt a "culturally normal" approach and denied past use of "Latinx" despite documented usage. Pete Buttigieg, Andy Beshear, Josh Shapiro and others are already conducting town halls in red districts and donor meetings. The party attributes Trump's 2024 victory to unpopular left-leaning policies, not just messaging failures.